Arroz de pato is one of the great rice dishes of Portugal, the kind of thing that turns an ordinary lunch into an occasion and keeps a table seated long after the plates are empty. The method is a lesson in thrift dressed for a party. A duck is simmered slowly with onion, carrot, garlic and bay until the meat falls from the bone; the broth becomes the cooking liquid for the rice; the meat is shredded back in; and the whole thing goes into the oven under a lid of chouriço slices until the top turns crisp and bronze.

What comes out is a cross between a risotto and a gratin: moist and savory underneath, crunchy on top, with the smoky paprika fat of the chouriço running down into the rice. The traditional rice is carolino, a Portuguese medium grain that soaks up broth and stays tender, and the crust is the part people quietly fight over.

It takes time but very little attention, and almost all of it can be done the day before. Assemble the dish in the morning and slide it into the oven as the cars line up on the grid; it arrives on the table with the timing of a well judged pit stop.

The duck and broth

Ingredients

• 1 (about 5 lb, 2.3 kg) whole duck
• 1 (about 6 oz, 170 g) chouriço
• 3 oz (85 g) thick cut smoked bacon or toucinho
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 black peppercorns
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry red wine or tawny port
• 2 teaspoons fine salt
• about 3 quarts (3 liters) cold water

Method

1. Prick the skin of the duck pieces all over with the tip of a knife, without piercing the meat. Put them skin side down in the large dry pot over medium heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, without moving them, until the skin is golden and plenty of fat has melted out. Turn and brown the other side for 3 minutes. Lift the duck onto a plate and pour the fat into a heatproof bowl.
2. Return the duck to the pot with the whole chouriço, the bacon if using, the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, wine if using and salt. Pour in the cold water so everything is covered by about 1 inch (2.5 cm).
3. Bring the pot slowly to a boil over medium heat. Skim off the grey foam that rises with the skimmer. Lower the heat so the liquid barely bubbles, half cover with the lid and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. After 30 minutes, lift out the chouriço and set it aside so it keeps its shape.
4. Lift the duck and bacon out onto a tray to cool. Pour the broth through the sieve into the large bowl or jug and discard the vegetables. Let it settle for 5 minutes, then spoon off as much fat from the surface as you can into the bowl of duck fat. Measure 4 1/2 cups (1.1 liters) of broth for the rice and keep it hot.
5. When the duck is cool enough to handle, pull off and discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat into bite size pieces with two forks. Chop the bacon finely. Cut half of the chouriço into small dice and the other half into thin slices for the top.

The rice

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) reserved duck fat or olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups (400 g) carolino or other medium grain rice
• 4 1/2 cups (1.1 liters) hot duck broth
• to taste fine salt and black pepper

Method

1. Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat it to 400°F (200°C).
2. Warm the duck fat in the large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, then add the garlic and the diced chouriço and cook for 2 minutes more.
3. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes so every grain is coated in fat.
4. Pour in the hot broth, stir, and add the shredded duck and chopped bacon. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the liquid and season with salt and pepper.

Baking

Ingredients

• the reserved chouriço slices
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) duck fat or olive oil
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 lemon

Method

1. Grease the baking dish with the duck fat. Spoon in the rice with all its liquid and spread it level with the back of the spoon.
2. Lay the chouriço slices over the top in neat rows or a pattern. If using the egg yolk, brush it lightly over the surface of the rice between the slices.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the top is crisp. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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